'Audible Drugs' Spreading
So-called ``audible drugs'' in the form of MP3 files, which allegedly give listeners similar effects as illegal drugs, are spreading online quickly.
The tracks, called ``I-Dosers,'' have been known among Internet-savvy users as a legal alternative to illicit drugs without the side effects. Several Internet communities have recently been created to share the music files and relevant information.
With no reports of side effects or accidents caused by the ``cyber drug'' yet, police remain inactive, while experts express concern over possible addiction to what they call ``audible drugs.''
The official Web site of the tracks (www.i-doser.com) states the products can help users achieve dozens kinds of ``simulated states'' through self-developed binaural brainwave technology ㅡ a concept which states that when two different tones are played in opposite ears, a beating sensation is created in the brain and make users feel a state similar to that caused by alcohol, marijuana, sleeping aids, ecstasy, heroin and other drugs, it said.
Many users praise the effects. A user who briefly noted his experience online said, ``It makes me feel as if I'm having an out-of-body experience.'' Some others described the products as ``life-changing,'' and ``inspiring,'' offering incomparably higher excitement than any other recreational tools they've had.
And the article continues . . . I've never heard of Binaural beats but it sounded interesting so I went to wikipedia to check it out . . . apparently "Heinrich Wilhelm Dove discovered binaural beats in 1839" (wikipedia)--cool.
Skimming over the wikipedia entry I saw this,
"Another claimed effect for sound induced brain synchronization is enhanced learning ability. It was proposed in the 1970s that induced alpha brain waves enabled students to assimilate more information with greater long term retention.[32] In more recent times has come more understanding of the role of theta brain waves in behavioural learning[33] The presence of theta patterns in the brain has been associated with increased receptivity for learning and decreased filtering by the left hemisphere.[32][34][35] Based on the association between theta activity (4-7 Hz) and working memory performance, biofeedback training suggests that normal healthy individuals can learn to increase a specific component of their EEG activity, and that such enhanced activity may facilitate a working memory task and to a lesser extent focused attention." (my italics, my bold)
I'm kind of surprised that Korean moms aren't tying their kids to chairs in front of the home computer each day to get their dose . . . lol. I wonder if any students have these files on their mp3 players . . . hehe.
If you happen to have a 'cat gene' as a part of your genome and decide to check this out for yourself--"meow" (did I just make a cat sound? lol)--I highly recommend following wikipedia's warning: "For these examples to be effective, it is required that the listener use headphones. WARNING: play the files _before_ putting on the headphones in order to set a safe volume, as the onset of the sound is quite abrupt and, especially in the second file, quite loud at first." (my italics, my bold)
I think it's safe to say that the Korea Times has become the equivalent of the National Enquirer in my mind . . . Time to go listen to . . . something, lol.
J
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